Rick Hill is the Valero Alamo Bowl’s VP of Marketing and Communications. Prior to the bowl, Rick spent 6 years working for the Spurs, one season with Missions Baseball and two fruitless months trying to sell season tickets for the S.A. Riders.

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Riding The Wave of Team Selection

“Bowl Week” is the busiest week of the year for the Valero Alamo Bowl staff for obvious reasons. The two teams arrive and have our full attention as we simultaneously manage 10 major events topped off with the big game.

The week after team announcement features the same combination of exhilaration and exhaustion only in reverse. The switch is flipped the moment the teams are picked and you hold on for a four day tidal wave waiting to exhale at the end of the week. Here are some highlights from the last couple of days:

Saturday (day before team announcement)

After spending the last three months discussing team selection scenarios, the results of the Big 12 Championship will help us determine which teams we can pick for this year’s Valero Alamo Bowl. Thus, the pressure for staff to complete all personal business for the rest of year needs to be done today and I delivered on the following during a 5 hour period:

Trip to dentist: Look ma, no cavities. I’ve accepted the fact the hygienist will ask me a question right before both her hands go in my mouth. But usually it’s a yes or no answer so I can gurgle a response. Saturday’s question was a little more open-ended: “So what do you think about Tiger? Why can’t those girls keep their mouths shut?”

Bi-annual car wash: After six months of fermenting between the seats, I determined that neither the Cheetos, popcorn or gummy bears were edible so my car was ready for a cleaning. And right on cue the drizzle started. For my lawn’s sake I should have gotten the wash during the summer drought.

Hair cut: Shouldn’t I get a discount since each time I have less and less hair to cut? Bruce Willis here I come. The good news is my barber tamed my unibrow so hopefully the caveman comments stop.

Charge My Electric Shaver: This year I smartly shaved at my house before going to the office and packed an extra charger. Two years ago year I brought my electric shaver to work on Selection Sunday only to have it die 2/3 through the job. I think I’d rather be tortured by Jack Bauer then have to spend another 10 minutes hand plucking individual hairs.

Store returns: The snow tires, generator and sled for the kids all had to go back as the snowstorm of the millennium didn’t materialize. Darn you Jennifer Broome.

Selection Sunday

With four teams in the mix (Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Michigan State and Minnesota), our selection committee met and opted to match-up Texas Tech and Michigan State. The two teams had never played each other, both played in high profile New Year’s Day bowl games last year and each averaged 30+ points and 400+ yards of offense per game this season. After watching more punts than points in the first half of the Big 12 Championship the night before, hosting teams that could combine for 60 points in the bowl game seemed like a good choice.

Some years after you officially announce the teams all you hear in the office is crickets, but luckily the phones were buzzing, emails were pouring in and tickets were being sold in large blocks. Heck who couldn’t resist the opportunity to see Texas Tech Head Coach Mike Leach in person after he somehow managed to get on the topic of grits during the team announcement press conference. “Imitation grits are one of the only things that compare to real grits,” he said.

Monday

The sales were brisk through Ticketmaster and the school box offices so spirits were high when we met with Texas Tech’s advance team. For the next 30 days, our staffs would be joined at the hip so we spent the day information sharing. Of course, I took advantage of any lull in the conversation to ask a Leach question. Did you know as a high school senior in Oklahoma Wes Welker was turned down for scholarships at Tulsa and SMU? Tech was down to its last scholarship before they extended it to Welker as their punter.

Tuesday

After a late night hosting Texas Tech and a 5 a.m. wake-up call , I inadvertently wore the same outfit to work. I didn’t realize it until I pulled into the Dome parking lot but decided to let it ride. The fact no one noticed probably speaks to my lack of fashion sense. Tuesday was the Michigan State advance team’s day to tour the city and facilities and it was good to see so many familiar faces from their visit in 2003. Long tenures are very common in the Big Ten with the Spartans’ travel coordinator being a good case in point. She’s been with the program for 20+ years and her current position is the same job her grandfather held in 1920.

Wednesday:

Texas Tech filled their original allotment and sales are still at a solid pace. The day was spent organizing for tomorrow’s AT&T Golf Classic which is headlined by the two participating coaches. Under the category of “expect the unexpected” during bowl season, we found out Coach Leach’s flight to San Antonio was cancelled and he would instead land in Austin at 11 p.m. We had four volunteers to go pick him up and drive him back to San Antonio. Selfishly I wanted to go as that blog would write itself but we instead sent our ticket coordinator.

Bradley said he’d ask Leach about his appearance on Friday Night Lights and the cover of Texas Monthly and would even try to get in a question about his “fat little girlfriends” comment. Either way, I’m looking forward to any stories from their drive back to San Antonio and hosting Leach and Coach Dantonio today.

The first tidal wave may have slowed to a heavy downpour but after 11 months of planning the excitement has just begun.